You come away with all sorts of stats and tidbits of information, like how many letters it takes to get someone to renew, or how many new magazines fail in their first year (3 out of 4). The experience has been both inspiring and daunting. Sometimes, I'll think, "That's a good idea, we should try that." The wheels start turning in my head and I imagine how I can apply all that I'm learning to make Hyphen a better publication -- and a better-run business. But sometimes it's overwhelming to hear about things that we should be doing that we're not. There's so much to do that we've not even gotten to! And we don't have the manpower as a volunteer-run organization to currently pursue them. I can go from feeling full of promise to feeling dejected all in the matter of minutes. I guess this is no different from how I usually feel about Hyphen; it's just more compressed.

Such a crazy business.

Anyway, on to another topic. The Northwest Asian American Film Festival kicked off last night. Lots of good stuff, so check out their schedule if you're in the Seattle area.

And another film related announcement: I am now accepting entries for the shorts film festival that I curate in Houston each May. This will be the 6th year for Slant: Bold Asian American images. Click here for the Call For Entries.